Filing binder-clip.



L. 'E. BALTZLEY.

' FILING BINDER CLIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. 1914.

1,256,426. Patented Feb. 12,1918.

" mum 1111mm zamzs EBaZQ-Zw LOUIS E. BALTZLEY, 0E WEEHAWKEN, NEW JERSEY.

FILING BINDER-CLIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, .ieis

Application filed May 23, 1914. Serial No. 840,458.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Louis E. BALTZLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Weehawlren, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FilingBinder-Clips, of which the following is a specification. 7

This invention relates to filing binder clips; and it comprises a clipmade of a single .piece of spring metal bent substantially in the formof a triangle and having a secondary bend near its clamping ends wherebythere is provided a free space contiguous to the clamping jaws intowhich the operating ends of spreading pliers may be inserted for thepurpose of opening the clip to place it on the papers to be clipped orto remove papers therefrom. The invention also comprises a clip of asinglepiece of spring metal bent in the form above described and havingmeans preferably on opposing faces with which operating portions ofspreading plies or levers may contact to spread opposing sides or jawsof the clip; all as more fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

Filing binder clips of the type to which the present invention relateshave not been practically successful in use because they are subject tomany disadvantages. For instance, in one form which has not provedsuccessful openings are provided in the large end or in the faces on thesides some distance from the extremities, with the result that when suchclips are used to secure the maximum number of loose leaves it ispractically impossible to insert the pliers in the holes and to securesufiicient leverage in the side of the clips. It is an object of thepresent invention to overcome this disadvantage and to produce a clipwhich always provides space for the operating por tion of the plier,regardless of the number of papers upon which it is used.

Cylindrical clips with turned over edges have been proposed, but thesepresent smooth round edges to the papers and therefore do not assecurely bind the papers together as a clip which is so shaped that itpresents sharp edges to the papers. Cylindrical clips are subject to thedisadvantage that they cannot be made with the resiliency with whichtriangular or similar clips can be made and furthermore they arenecessarily larger than a triangular clip for a given number of loosepapers.

The prime necessity of a filing binder clip is that it shall be as closeas possible to the papers, taking up very little room, presenting noopenings through which the papers may slip, binding the papers firmlytogether and afiording means by which it may be conveniently opened forinsertion and removal of papers.

tv is a desideratum' in the art in which this invention relates to.obviate the disadvantages set forth in heretofore known clips and toproduce a triangular or substantially triangular clip having sufficientresiliency to clamp a very few or the maximum number of papers to whichthe clip isadapted while at the same time to so form the clip as to beof minimum size.

This invention hasalso for its object the provision of a spring clip ofthin spring metal suitably reinforced whereby the clip is light inweightand is very little larger as a whole than the thickness of a batchof papers to which it is attached.

In the accompanying drawings showing several forms of specificembodiments of my invention, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 areperspective views of different specific forms. Figs. 8 and 9 aretransverse sections of two different forms of my clip together withoperating pliers therefor.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the base of the triangular clip,and 2 the converging sides, the extremities of which are formed intoclamping jaws 3. Near the jaws the sides are bent as shown at 4 and 5 atobtuse angles so that when papers are inserted to be bound by the clip afree plier space designated by 6 is provided between the clip sides andthe papers. In one form of the invention the sides of the clip may beprovided with an offset section 7 (Fig. 4:) and the extremities of thesides may be bent at an obtuse angle to such offset portion.

The main sides of the clips or the bent extremities may be provided withholes 8 into which the hookedportion of pliers may be inserted forspreading the jaws of the clip to attach them to papers. These holes arepreferably made contiguous to the jaws and preferably near the angleformed by bending the extremities of the clips, but they may be formedin the bent over portions and may be in the form'of slots extendinginwardly from the jaws themselves as is shown in Fig.

The metal of the sides or the bent over portions of the clipssurrounding the holes is stamped to prevent a hooked portion or holdingmeans 9 in the form of tangs. These tangs may be struck from the edgesof the holes either near the jaws as is shown in Figs. 1, 7, 8 and 9 orthey may be struck from the edges of the holes toward the back of theclip as is shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5. In the first instance, pliers.such as are shown in Figs. 8 and 9 are used. In the latter instancesimilar pliers having reversed hook portions are necessary. The backsand if necessary the sides of the clips are reinforced in any suitablemanner but preferably this is done by means of a plurality of reinforcedribs 10 struck from the metal itself during the forming operation.

The pliers shown in Figs. 8 and 9 are not claimed in' this invention asthey form the isiilibject of an application to be subsequently Thepliers comprise hook erating handles 13 and and 1516 (Fig. 9).

The backs of the claps may be provided with tongues 11 for the insertionof index portions 12, oppivots 14 (Fig; 8)

cards or the like,

The operation of the clips is obvious from the above description. Plierssuch as are Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

shown in Figs. 8 and 9 having the hook portions 12 are inserted in theholes of the sides of the clips with the hooked portions engaging thetangs 9 and such pliers are operated to spread the jaws of the clipswhile the batch of papers to be clipped is inserted in place. The pliersare then released and are withdrawn from the clips and the papers. Thepliers may be easily withdrawn because they are not subject to anyfriction between the clip sides and the papers,.and for the same reasonthe hooked portion of the pliers may be easily inserted when it isdesired to remove a clip from a.

batch of papers.

WVhat I claim is A filing binder clip made of spring metal having a'baseand two converging sides, the extremities of the sides being bent toform gripping jaws and to provide free plier spaces inside the clip,each of said sides having an opening near said jaws and an inwardlyprojecting hook formed at the jaw side of said opening.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in the presence of twosubscribing wit- IIGSSBS.

Witnesses: I

F. B. GRTNDELL, S. ScI-IUMAN.

Washington, D. 0.

LOUIS E. BALTZLEY.

